


A Steady Rhythm In A Sea of Pain

by Phoenix_is_creative



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, Other, Protective Sam | Awesamdude, Ranboo Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Has Panic Attacks (Video Blogging RPF), Sad Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:07:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29160888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix_is_creative/pseuds/Phoenix_is_creative
Summary: What if Dream had found out that Ranboo knew where Tommy was after he escaped exile? Ranboo knew he would stop at no costs, but would he really take it this far? How would it affect his everyday life?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 272





	A Steady Rhythm In A Sea of Pain

**Author's Note:**

> I rated it as mature because of possible trigger warnings. This is also my first time writing on AO3, so I’m really excited! This takes place when Ranboo was ‘visiting’ Dream in the prison (that is if he were actually just going to visit.)

It wasn’t his fault. Or at least, that’s what Ranboo kept telling himself. Tommy shouldn’t have trusted him with such a big secret anyway, considering that he hadn’t been on the server that long and his memory wasn’t the greatest. Then again, maybe Tommy thought that he would just forget everything and move on.

But Ranboo had been wrong. Oh, had he been wrong. So, so horribly wrong. He should’ve known that word would spread about Tommy’s disappearance. He should’ve known that it would get back around to the citizens, to President Tubbo. 

Tubbo went to visit Tommy, only to find Logstedshire decimated with nothing but a pillar built high into the clouds as a sign to his friends' departure. He was presumed dead, which made Ranboo only feel worse. If only he could tell Tubbo the truth…

No, he couldn’t do that. Tommy was relying on him to keep his secret. Ranboo needed to stay in the middle of things, so if that meant that he would have to stay quiet for a little while longer, then he supposed it couldn’t be so bad.

That was until word got around to Dream.

Ranboo didn’t know how he found out, but he knew that Dream was angry. He thought of the man with his too white mask with it’s too happy smile, and it made the hairs on his neck stand up. He shouldn’t have been so nervous. Him and Dream had barely talked since he joined the server, so what was the big deal? Ranboo was just being paranoid, as per usual.

Then he woke up in a dark obsidian room, alone and shaking, and he knew that he had, once again, been wrong. His thoughts were cloudy and his heart was beating an unsteady rhythm. Ranboo’s hands were shaking against his restraints, and his whole body shuttered terribly. The smell of the sea made him gag and the rush of water somewhere nearby sent him into another fit of panic.

“Hello Ranboo.” His voice was like poison, thick and silky, but underneath the disguise there was bitterness and pain. 

“What are you doing,” he asked, but his voice came out all wrong, crackly and weak, like he had been screaming for too long and had lost his voice.

Dream laughed, a sound that seemed to burn his skin. “What am I doing? I think I should be asking what you are doing.”

“I’m sitting tied up in a chair, thanks to you,” he replied in an attempt to sound cool and collected, but his voice only broke and splintered awkwardly as it had before.

Dream shook his head. “No no, Ranboo. I think you know what I’m referring to.” He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He wore netherite armor, reminding Ranboo of where Dream stood. He wasn’t a citizen of L’Manburg. He could do whatever he wanted, and suddenly Ranboo felt very ill. “I know you know where Tommy is.”

Blood rushed in his ears, blocking out the sound of his heartbeat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, don’t play that game with me,” he whined, but there was a teasing tone to it, egging him on. You could even hear his smile. “You’re smarter than you act. So do the smart thing. Tell me where Tommy is, and I’ll let you go.”

Ranboo hesitated. “What makes you so certain that I know?”

Dream laughed again, that dry laugh that seemed to burn away his skin, leaving nothing but his bones to be exposed to the world. “Let’s just say I had a hunch.”

When Ranboo didn’t speak, Dream just made a ‘tsk tsk’ noise, and said, “Fine. Have it your way.” Then he disappeared again, leaving him utterly alone in the cold and darkness.

It wasn’t Dream’s words that scared him, or even the delighted tone to his voice, but it was his footsteps that scared Ranboo the most. Because when Dream returned, he couldn’t hear him coming. He was as silent as a mouse, leaving Ranboo feeling like he was trapped in a cage.

Dream placed a bucket by his feet, which landed with a heavy thud. Its contents sloshed onto the floor and it didn’t take long for Ranboo to realize that the bucket was full of water.

“You’re an enderman, right?” Dream asked, looking from the water bucket back up at him.

“Part enderman,” he began, but the words seemed to die in his throat.

“Right right. Part enderman. Well, either way I know how much water must suck for you, so I would hate to have to use this on you.”

“Oh yeah,” Ranboo laughed, emotionless and distorted. “You would just love to see that, wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Ranboo. I just want my information. Although, if you don’t tell me, then I guess I’ll have to use stricter methods.”

Then, he did something absolutely and utterly stupid. Ranboo didn’t know why he did it, or what made him think that it would be a smart idea. 

Ranboo kicked the water bucket over, and said through clenched teeth, “Go to hell.”

Dream simply watched as the clear liquid spilled onto the floor, not bothering to stop the mess. Then, he laughed. He laughed, and laughed, his shoulders shaking and his head thrown back, and for just a moment Ranboo could see the exposed skin of his neck.

“Oh believe me, Ranboo,” he said through giggles as he began to pull himself back together. “I’ve been there. It’s not much different than this.” 

Then he left, and this time, he did not return.

————

Dream did not come back until late the next day. Ranboo didn’t sleep, too scared to shut his eyes. He considered escape, but there appeared to be no exits, and besides, he had no idea where he was. What if he was in the middle of the nether, miles away from a portal? Then what would he do?

“Tubbo will come look for me,” he said to himself. He didn’t really know why he said it, but the words were reassuring enough. “Tubbo will find me.”

Dream laughed from somewhere to his right, scaring Ranboo half to death. “Tubbo? You think Tubbo can help you? He’s worthless.”

“He’s the President.”

“And look where he’s gotten you. You’re kidnapped, your country’s probably at the lowest it’s ever been, there’s a fugitive running around-“

“Tommy isn’t a fugitive, and last time I checked you were the one watching him.”

If his words bothered Dream, he didn’t show it. He just continued to smile. “So maybe I messed up, but that’s why I’m trying to get him back. That’s why you're here. That’s why you need to tell me where he is. So I can fix all of this.”

“You’re not fixing anything. You’re just hurting it.”

“Am I hurting you?”

Ranboo’s heart drummed against his chest like a warning. “No. You’re not.”

Dream made a humming sound. “That’s a shame.”

That’s when the first water bucket was poured onto him, and the fun had begun.

————

“Ranboo, did you hear me?”

“What?”

“You have to go through the water next to get to Dream’s cell.”

Ranboo glanced around the room. The dark brick walls, water rushing nearby. “Oh, um… Yeah, I don’t know if I can…”

“I’m sorry Ranboo, but you’ll have to if you want to see Dream.”

“I… I can’t.”

————

“I can’t,” he gasped, choking on sobs. “I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you.”

Ranboo sat, shivering and soaking wet. He didn’t know how long they had been doing this. He didn’t know how many days it had been or if it had only been a few minutes, but it felt like a never ending nightmare.

“Sure you can, Ranboo. It’s not that difficult,” Dream responded, changing his grip on the water bucket, as if he were ready to pour it on him again.

Ranboo shrunk back into his chair, tugging against his restraints. “I promised,” he whispered. It sounded so stupid considering the situation he was in, but he couldn’t seem to let it go. “I promised.”

“I won’t tell him that you told,” Dream offered, and for a moment Ranboo believed him and that painted on smile. “He won’t even know. I’ll send him back to exile, and he won’t even know. He’ll just blame me.”

“It doesn’t matter… It means I still was the one who told.” Ranboo’s suit clung to his body and his hair dripped beads of water onto his face, and before he could stop himself tears were welling in his eyes. “Does that make me a bad friend?”

Dream watched him with his head slightly cocked, as if he couldn’t believe his prisoner were crying at such a time like this. He sighed, and pinched his mask where his temples should’ve been, like he were trying to subdue a headache.

Dream knelt in front of Ranboo, getting to his eye level. “Oh Ranboo,” he said, and he hated the fake sympathy in his voice, the way it was soft and sweet and so convincing. “It doesn’t make you a bad friend. It just makes you weak.”

————

“Ranboo? Hey, Ranboo are you okay? Do I need to call someone?”

He felt something cold under him, making his heart skyrocket, then he realized that it was just the floor. The dark, brick floor. When had he sat down?

“I’m fine,” he said, but his voice, like it had in that obsidian room, came out wrong and twisted.

Sam looked at him skeptically. “Are you sure? You kinda got… lost.”

“I’m fine… Yeah, I’m fine.” He tried to get to his feet, but his legs were shaky and he only fell again. Sam helped pull him up, an arm wrapped around his shoulders.

“We can go back if you’re not ready, Ranboo. I know that this is hard for a lot of us-“

“No… No, I can do it. I can do it.”

“Are you sure,” Sam asked disbelievingly. 

He nodded. “I’m sure.”

Sam didn’t ask again. He just unwrapped his arm from around Ranboo’s shoulders, and gestured towards the water entrance. “Take your time,” he said, which as comforting as it should’ve been, only made Ranboo’s heart beat faster.

So Ranboo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and jumped into the water. The passage was tight and cramped, the water bitter cold. It was dark, too dark, too familiar.

Just a little further, he tried to tell himself, but the walls began to cave in on him and his heart beat too fast. Just a little further.

He felt something nearby, someone’s hand brush against his ankle, and when he looked behind him he saw a flash of green. Panicked, Ranboo tried to kick at the quickly coming green mass, but it was already too close. He was going to be pulled back to his prison, never to be heard from again.

Please, he thought desperately as his vision began to blur, please.

————

“Come on. This is getting pathetic. You’ve been here for almost two weeks now, and I could be doing a lot worse to you. Lucky for you, I’m nice.”

“They’re coming for me. They’re coming for me. Tubbo’s coming. Someone’s coming. They’re coming,” he whispered like a mantra, over and over. Otherwise, Ranboo was certain that he would lose his mind.

Dream grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him forward, nearly dislocating his shoulders. “No one is coming for you,” he shouted. “Can’t you get that through your head? Tubbo thinks that Tommy is dead. He’s too overwhelmed by his own grief to be worried about where you are.”

“No, no he’s not- he’ll find me. He’ll find me.”

Dream bunched his shirt in his fist, his knuckles brushing against Ranboo’s skin. “Do you really think that? Or are you losing hope?”

Ranboo didn’t respond. He didn’t know the answer to that. Partially because he didn’t want to give Dream the satisfaction, but then again, Ranboo didn’t know what to believe anymore.

“Please let me go.” He hated how pathetic his voice sounded, but he simply didn’t have the strength anymore to fight it.

Dream shook his head. “I can’t do that, Ranboo.”

“Then kill me. Just kill me.”

“Then what good would you be?” He asked, that same smile in his voice.

Dream let go of his shirt. Ranboo just let his chin fall to his chest, too tired to move. He had spent the last two weeks struggling, his heartbeat too fast, paranoid that Dream would walk in at any moment with another water bucket. Now, he couldn’t even gather the strength to lift his head.

“Fine. Have it your way,” Dream said, and when he was submerged into the icy water once again, he didn’t fight his panic. He just let it happen.

But when he was pulled out of the water, he did not find Dream, but instead he found Techno. “You’re not dying on us like this.”

“How did you-“

“Let’s just say I had to pay a lot of people to find out where you were. Now, let’s get you out of here.”

————

Ranboo awoke gasping for breath, glancing around quickly in a desperate attempt to get a look at his surroundings. The room was still dark despite a single torch illuminating the room, and instead of a cold floor beneath him there was something soft and warm.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Sam said from the corner, startling Ranboo.

“Where- Where am I?” He managed to spit out, his voice shaky, but from fear or the cold, he wasn’t sure.

“You’re in a room in the prison.” Sam must’ve seen the look on his face, because he quickly added, “Don’t worry, it’s not a cell. You blacked out in the water, so I took you here to recover.”

Ranboo tried to wrap his head around Sam’s words, but his brain felt like mush. “Oh…” He said, not knowing how else to respond. “How long have I been out?”

Sam shrugged. “Not that long. An hour or two. You woke up for a bit, but I’m guessing you don’t remember that.”

Ranboo slowly shook his head. “Dream… I’m supposed to meet Dream…”

“You’re not going anywhere after that fiasco.” 

Sam sat down on the edge of the bed, resting his back against the wall. He was in full netherite armor, just like Dream had been. He couldn’t suppress his shudder of revulsion.

Sam raised a brow, but simply ignored it. “It shouldn’t have been the potion. It should’ve lasted long enough for you to breathe. Did you feel the effects?”

Ranboo hesitated. “Yeah, I guess.”

“This is a yes or no question, Ranboo.”

“I guess I did. I couldn’t really tell…”

Sam thought for a moment, his brows furrowed from under his creeper mask. “If it wasn’t the potion, then it had to be something else…” He paused, as if he had just realized something. “Why did you want to visit Dream, Ranboo?”

He couldn’t speak. His throat had caved and he couldn’t seem to make any noise. Ranboo pulled the blanket closer to him, wrapping himself tightly in it in hopes that he would just disappear.

“I’m part enderman. I’m supposed to be scared of water,” he answered, but his voice was too weak.

“Not that afraid,” he replied with a shake of his head. His voice became suddenly serious, a tone that was deep and quiet and it reminded him so much of Dream that it took his breath away. “Did Dream do something to you?”

He didn’t know when he had started to cry, it just happened all at once and he couldn’t stop. He was tired and shaking, and he despised the way his hair clung to his face as it dripped with water. It didn’t matter how many months ago it had been or if Dream was in prison. He had left a mark in Ranboo that wouldn’t go away on its own.

“Do you want to go home?” Sam asked softly, and Ranboo guessed that he nodded because the next thing he knew Sam was leading him out of the prison and back to Techno’s.

Techno didn’t ask questions and neither did Phil. They all sat in Techno’s room silently, watching as the snow fell, watching as Ranboo shook quietly in his blanket. His secret would be out in the open soon, and he couldn’t stop it.

But Phil and Techno never said anything, and neither did Sam, but they did pay a lot more attention to him. They would normally ask where he was going or what he was doing, and Sam checked on him more than he ever had. 

Ranboo decided that he didn’t care, because he kept their secrets and they kept his, and something about that made his heart stop beating so fast.


End file.
